The field of the present invention is securing devices and more particularly latching assemblies capable of applying a preload suitable for holding down a panel such as an aircraft engine cowling.
Adjustable latches and keepers are known in the field of latch assemblies. In Harmon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,952, an adjustable keeper is described which includes a mechanism by which a tension latch assembly may be adjusted and then secured in the adjusted condition. The Harmon adjustable keeper includes a clutch arrangement which prevents the drive system (by which the operator applies a preload) from applying any further preload when a predetermined preload is achieved. The clutch arrangement of the Harmon adjustable keeper selects its predetermined preload by the design of its springs and the size and/or geometry of its clutch ramp surfaces.